As children, we were taught to abide by the ‘Golden Rule’: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” As adults, we are now being instructed to not help people who are down on their luck. What changed?

The question is relevant, as recently, the United Methodist Church in Malibu, was asked to stop feeding the homeless.

Since 2014, workers at the church would serve free meals to the homeless every Wednesday. They estimate that they’ve been able to assist approximately 100 people per day. “It’s a safe place,” said Michael Johnson, who is homeless. “And everyone is welcome. And the food is really good. It’s home-cooked. And there’s TLC involved.”

“The church is very helpful,” he added. “They keep my spirits up. They keep me accountable. When you’re homeless, it’s very easy to slip off and become jaded.”

But now, Johnson and others like him will be without the life-saving aid. This is because the city asked the food service to close down after Thanksgiving. According to CBS Los Angeles, the church was sent an email asking members to attend a hearing last week. During the hearing, they were outright asked to stop feeding the homeless.

Recalled Dawn Randall, who works with the United Methodist Church: “Very succinctly, they claimed we are increasing homelessness.”

Kay Gabbard, who also works with the church, was as surprised as the others by the city’s decision.

”I think many of them eat out of dumpsters and trash cans when they aren’t eating with us,” Gabbard said. “We can’t pretend like it doesn’t exist in our backyard. We can’t pretend that it only exists outside Malibu.”

Mailbu’s mayor has yet to comment.

Homelessness is a very pressing issue, one that cannot be ignored. According to a 2016 report, over half a million people in the United States are homeless. And of them, approximately 8 percent are veterans. That means at the very least over 40,000 veterans are without homes in America.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs released a study in 2013 that showed that an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day in the U.S.. That translates to one veteran suicide every 65 minutes and over 8,000 per year.